This invention relates to a technique for providing a viewer with an individual channel for displaying preferred programming.
Many operators of cable television service, such as TCI, now ATandT Broadband and Internet Services, have begun upgrading their cable plants to offer digital cable service. The advent of digital cable television service affords subscribers many more channels in comparison to analog cable service. Having a larger number of channels means greater programming choices. However, the increased number of available program choices often requires viewers to sort through the programs to determine which ones they wish to view.
Various techniques currently exist for aiding the viewer in making programming selections. For example, most cable television providers offer a single channel displaying a listing of available program choices. However, the viewer must often wait as the screen scrolls through the entire list of program choices, often a time consuming process. Another approach is to allow viewers to designate a subset of favorite programs for display. Yet another approach allows a customer to program one or more theme channels, which, upon selection, provide the user with the ability to select a subset of programs corresponding to that particular theme.
Unfortunately, past attempts at overcoming the difficulty associated with finding desirable programming have not proven altogether successful. All require significant user interaction, and some require specialized equipment.
The problem associated with finding desirable programming is not limited necessarily to cable television viewers. Viewers of direct broadcast and satellite systems often face the daunting challenge of selecting among hundreds of available programs as well. Additionally, with the proliferation of sites on the World-Wide Web portion of the Internet offering streaming video and audio, individuals that browse the web often face programming selection choices too.
Thus, there is need for an approach that allows a subscriber to more easily find desirable programming.
Briefly, the present invention provides a method for providing a viewer with at least one personal viewing channel that displays the viewer""s preferred programming irrespective of the true channel on which such programs appear. Initially, the viewer""s programming preferences are established. For example, the user may actually select a set of preferred programs. Alternatively, the viewer""s past viewing history may be used to ascertain a preferred set of programs. Alternatively, the user may select a set of xe2x80x9ckeywordsxe2x80x9d or topics of interest that may be used to ascertain a preferred set of programs. After establishing the set of preferred programs, the true channel carrying each preferred program, along with the start time of that program are stored. At prescribed intervals, the stored information is scrutinized to identify which preferred program should appear on the personal channel based on the program""s start time. The identified program is then displayed on the preferred channel.